A former OpenAI researcher turned whistleblower was found dead by suicide in his San Francisco apartment last month, authorities said.
Suthir Balaji, 26, was found dead on November 26 by a San Francisco police officer who had gone to his apartment after being called to perform a welfare check, the Mercury News reported.
The coroner’s office ruled there was no evidence of foul play and his death was considered self-inflicted, the paper said.
Before his death, Balaji publicly accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright law with its generative AI app ChatGPT.
The California native joined the artificial intelligence company as a researcher in 2022, but quickly became troubled by how the image and text generation program worked.
Back in October, Balaji was the subject of a profile in the New York Times detailing what he believed to be fair use violations that ChatGPT regularly commits.
On November 18, The Times filed a letter in federal court naming Balaji as someone who has “unique and relevant documentation” to use in the current lawsuit against OpenAI, the Mirror reported.
Ilya Mitsukavets – Stock.adobe.com
The lawsuit alleges that Microsoft and OpenAI are simply defrauding reporters and editors of their jobs, with gross disregard for journalistic ethics and legality.
“We are devastated to learn this incredibly sad news today and our hearts go out to Still’s loved ones during this difficult time,” OpenAI said in a statement to CNBC.
If you live in New York City and are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis, call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. You can. If you live outside the five boroughs, dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
